August 10, 2004
Fiction
Silicon Veins
Blue neon flickered through the bedroom window. Neurons fired, wet flesh slapped against wet flesh, and Andi heard Kevin groan. She gasped, turned her head sideways, saw her reflection in the mirror, a slender body doubled up on the bed, limned in blue fire where the intruding light refracted through a sheen of sweat. She twisted the sheet in both fists, slid her legs off Kevin‘s shoulders and let them slide over his arms.
He moved his hands up her stomach, tracing the flat muscles, stopping to swirl around her breasts before catching her wrists. She felt him draw her hands above her head, careful to avoid the cyberwires running from the headboard to the jacks behind each of their right ears.
Kevin pulled back, thrust again. She slammed her heels against his ass, pulling him in even further. The program he‘d bought triggered a wave of delight, tweaking a sequence of nerves with mathematical precision. Her breath caught; his pelvis ground against her clit and the starburst of pleasure was duplicated by the program in a hundred spots on sites on her skin. She craned her neck to bite into the side of his — her cyberwire tugged at its jack for a second before the reel released a bit more length.
Kevin pressed his mouth to hers, and the program responded. Lips and tongues kissed across her body, licking the insides of her thighs, pulling at her nipples, nipping at her instep. She felt his hands and mouth on her wrists simultaneously. The salty scent of their pleasure disappeared beneath a burst of her favorite aromas, cinnamon and vanilla, then the program released her olfactory sense and the musky smell of sex returned.
“Ready?” whispered Kevin.
She licked the hollow beneath his chin. He tensed for an instant, she sucked in her breath.
The climax exploded through her body — she knew it started deep in her core, as when they didn‘t jack in, but the sensation doubled and trebled instantly, spreading to every muscle in half a heartbeat. She cried out, felt Kevin‘s groan muffled against her throat. She saw the two of them in her mind, two systems of nerves and cyberwire, tangled together in a writhing mass on the bed. Then, the program twinged once more and coherent thought dissolved into a line of pure energy.
•
Six months of work, within thirty minutes of completion, and her connection to Tokugawa‘s network failed. She reached for her jack, but the wire was secure. She slapped the external comm on the desk.
“Tech center.”
“My port‘s malfunctioning, just dropped me out of the network. Can you check it?”
“Office LC-1283?”
“Yeah.”
The tech fell silent. Andi leaned back, took a swig from a bottle of water.
“Your port was deactivated, ma‘am.”
“What?”
Footsteps in the hall. A uniform, at least six feet tall and damned near as broad, filled the doorway. Andi stared.
“Ma‘am,” came the techie‘s voice, “you‘ve got a security violation code. You‘ll have to—”
“Yeah, no kidding.” She cut the connection, unjacked, and let the cyberwire retract to the wall.
The uniform stepped into the room. “Ms. Valichek?”
“What‘s going on?”
He shrugged. “Dunno, ma‘am. Just told to escort you to the security office.”
Her stomach tightened, but she stood and followed the uniform into the hall.
•
“You son of a bitch.”
Kevin looked surprised; she would‘ve found his expression comical if she weren‘t more pissed than she remembered ever being before.
“Babe?” He started across the living room, but her face actually twitched in a snarl and he stopped dead.
“You have fun two weeks ago? Maybe, Friday, while I was up at my parents?”
He didn‘t mask his understanding quick enough; she caught the recognition before he hid it behind innocent confusion. “What‘re you—”
“You visited an Ellie, didn‘t you? Had some fun?” She snatched up a couch pillow, wrung it in her hands as her arms shook.
Kevin tried for a smile, faltered. “Andi, I—”
“You asshole! You selfish, unthinking asshole!”
“Hey, it‘s not like we‘re contracted. Geez, Andi, it was just a little fun—”
She threw the pillow; it bounced ineffectually from the wall, but Kevin flinched away all the same. Not satisfied, she snatched up a heavy, marble coaster from the end table. Her arm cocked back, but she wrestled herself under control and lowered her hand as Kevin stared.
“You arrogant son of a bitch,” she said. “I don‘t care about the Ellie. You want to play with a pro, play with a pro. But a little fun wasn‘t enough for you, was it? You jacked in, got a little extra, didn‘t you?”
Suddenly, he couldn‘t look at her. His eyes traveled the room, mostly along the floor.
“Did you ever stop to think how stupid that was? Consider who the hell else plugs in at a place like that? Jesus, Kevin, you know how bad security is on those hack-job systems — you put your health on the line, and mine, and you never gave it a second thought, did you?”
He jammed his hands in his pockets, a remiss child. “What happened?”
Exhaustion hit her, nearly as thorough as the shuddering climax produced by last night‘s program. She dropped coaster on the table and sat down on the couch. “You picked up a warhorse, passed it on to me. The Tokugawa network picked it up when it performed a data dump to an outside address. I spent the day in the security department, then the Director‘s office.”
“Is it bad?”
“I got to keep my job. Probably set me back a year for promotion, and they‘ll watch me like a hawk.”
“No, I mean, the virus. Is it bad?”
She stared at him. “Did you hear what I just said? I‘ve been busting ass at that company for five years. I‘m finally getting somewhere, and you may have ruined it all with your little stunt.”
“But—”
“And you want to know if you‘re in any danger? Great timing, Kev. Good to see you thinking now!”
He tried to protest, but she cut him off with a tired wave. “Just go away. I don‘t want to talk to you right now.”
His mouth opened and closed again, soundlessly, before he finally headed deeper into the apartment.
“No,” she said. “Not here.”
“What?”
“I don‘t want you here right now. Go away, stay with Samuel or something. Just go.”
Now, she wouldn‘t look at him. She felt his presence, staring into the side of her head. She ignored him, watched the glow of the setting sun bathe the skyline with orange fire. Finally, the front door slammed and she collapsed on the couch to cry.
•
“You‘re the hammerchick?”
Diana was about her own age and looked more raver than hack. Slender but muscled, she wore leather and steel with metallic purple eye shadow and a fine, gold chain from her nose to her ear. She moved with peculiar deliberation, watching her own hand whenever she picked up her glass and glancing at her knees as she crossed her legs.
“Don‘t look the part?” she asked. Her voice was neutral and her eyes impossible to read. They glittered violet in the sun of the outdoor cafĂ©.
Andi flushed. “I‘ve never met someone, um, like you—”
Diana arched an eyebrow.
“Illicit, I meant. Shit, I‘m not good at this.”
“Why don‘t you start with what you want? You corporate types don‘t track me down just to feed me lunch.”
“I want to track someone down and hurt him.”
This time, both Diana‘s eyebrows rose. “What‘d this lucky guy do to you?”
“Humiliated me, almost cost me my job.” Andi took a breath, forced her voice lower. She dropped a disc on the table and leaned forward. “This contains a warhorse. My boyfriend picked it up from an Ellie; it was obviously planted with her by some perv.”
Diana glanced at the disc, didn‘t touch it. “What‘s it do?”
“It—” She flushed again. “It kept a recording of us having sex. Stored it in my local, then tried to mail it to the perv when I plugged in at work the next day.” She watched for the hammerchick to smile or laugh, but she only blinked, once, slowly.
“Dangerous shit. Someone starts messing with your brainbox like that, he could overwrite an OS address. Cause you some real fits, leave you with nanolepsy if you‘re really unlucky.”
Andi nodded.
“Probably a good thing your employer found it; if this guy‘s any good, you might‘ve been carryin‘ this for a long time.”
“I know.”
“You know what you‘re gonna have to do if you want to get him?”
Andi shook her head. Diana leaned forward, slowly, and crooked a finger at her. Andi stretched further over the table, until her face was only inches from the hammerchick‘s. Silver flecks swam in the violet eyes; the slight scent of her skin reminded Andi of her last night with Kevin, a week earlier, and her stomach tightened. For a wild instant she thought Diana meant to kiss her, but instead, the hammerchick whispered in her ear, “You‘ve got to put it back in.”
Andi sat down, hard. “What? You want me to purposely load a virus? No way.”
Diana looked back at her chair as she seated herself. “I‘ll know for sure after I check out the code, but I‘m betting I‘ll have to ride a live transmission to find the guy. Don‘t worry, I can wipe the virus again afterward.”
She considered, but not for long. “How much?”
Diana named a price.
Andi‘s face fell. “I can‘t—”
Diana blinked again. It was a slow, languid motion, and Andi found herself captured by the motion until she was staring back into the violet eyes.
“Lemme look at the code,” the hammerchick said. “If the guy‘s good, maybe I‘ll work cheap.” She smiled. “Consider it a learning experience, you know?”
“Really? You‘d—”
Diana held up a hand. “I said, maybe.”
Don‘t look a gift horse, she told herself, but couldn‘t resist asking, “Why?”
The hammerchick smiled. “Maybe I just hate vampires.”
•
“I can‘t believe I‘m doing this,” said Andi.
The taxi glided to a stop outside a three story building with no sign, no windows. “Not losing your nerve, are you?” asked Diana.
“Yeah. No. I don‘t know.” She looked at Diana — today she wore leather pants and a suede vest which left her stomach bare. Her eyes were green. “Were you always a hammerchick?”
Andi slipped her cred key into the payment slot. The door clicked open.
“What tipped you?”
“The way you move, your physique. You seem . . .tough.”
“Yeah.” They stepped out to the pavement and the taxi pulled away. “State champion martial artist in high school, got a scholarship offer to WMU, decided instead to go into the security business.”
“Then what?”
Diana grabbed Andi‘s hand, drew it to her abs. “Feel that?”
Her fingers tingled at the contact. The skin was soft, smooth, but the muscles beneath were like steel. She caught Diana‘s tiny smile and realized she‘d been stroking the other woman‘s flesh. She snapped her hand away.
“Yeah, I feel it. So, what?”
“So, I don‘t.” Diana turned, led her to the door of the building. “Got a try-out with Santos Sec, decided to get an arc block. You know what that is?”
“Intercepts nerve impulses, right? Don‘t SWAT guys use it to dampen pain?”
“Right on, ’cept that mine was a real hack job. Cuts out ninety percent of all nerve reactions. Anything more intense than scratching my nose, and wham! The whole system goes numb.”
She pulled the door open, gestured.
Andi hesitated. “How do you handle it?”
The corner of Diana‘s mouth twitched. “Like a leper. I live careful, watch my moves, check my body constantly for bruises, cuts, anything else I‘m not feeling.”
“It sounds terrible.”
“Yeah, no pain, and no gain. I haven‘t come in five years, you know?”
Andi blushed. “I‘m sorry,” she stammered, “I didn‘t mean to—”
Diana grinned. “Just teasing you. I mean, it‘s true, but I‘m cool with it. Now, you ready?”
Andi sucked in her breath. “I think so.”
“Then here we go.”
The lobby of the Ellie palace was all velvet and mahogany. The girl behind the desk, an olive-skinned beauty draped in translucent blue silk, winked as they passed.
“Diana, I can‘t afford this place!” She‘d only glanced at the price list as the hammerchick led her past the front desk, but one look told her enough.
“The owner‘s a friend of mine. She‘s doing it as a favor.”
“You‘re sure?” Andi touched the jack behind her ear. Since re-loading the warhorse, she‘d imagined an itch in that locale.
Diana grabbed her shoulders, spun her around before she could blink. “Listen. I‘m sure. Go in, have some fun.” She grinned. “Don‘t forget to plug in.” She opened a door, spun Andi again, and shoved her through.
•
She‘d expected extravagance, was surprised to find nothing more than a satin-draped platform in the center of a somewhat small room. Heavy drapes covered the walls; the only furnishing was a flat, blank panel mounted at an angle from the ceiling. It illuminated with a single word: Undress.
She hesitated just an instant, considered pushing back through the entryway. “Ah, fuck it,” she said, finally. A drawer slid open in the base of the platform; she peeled her clothes off and folded them neatly.
The monitor changed. Lie down. Jack in.
She boosted herself onto the platform, felt the soft fabric against her ass. She lowered herself to her back and dropped one hand over the side; her fingers found a protruding cyberwire jack.
It clicked into place, and the room fell dark. The monitor glowed. Enjoy.
She thought she heard the door open, couldn‘t be sure in the darkness. Seconds later, strong but gentle hands pushed her legs apart. She gasped at the abrupt contact.
“Efficient service when you‘re getting a favor, huh?” she said.
A finger pressed to her lips and she giggled. She bit at it playfully, felt her teeth click on a squared-off nail, then the hand returned to her leg. Her knees were pushed toward her chest, a mouth clamped down around her sex, and a tongue lashed her clit.
The ferocity of the assault shocked her. One instant her body languished on the platform, the next, her anonymous benefactor was eating her out as if he hadn‘t touched a woman in years. The Ellie licked and sucked; lips pulled at her clit, a tongue slid over the insides of her thighs, fingertips tickled delicate patterns down the backs of her legs, into her abruptly-slick crease, over the tight pucker exposed a bit further down.
Her nipples stiffened so suddenly they nearly hurt. Heat flushed in her chest, crept up her throat to her face. She‘d had quickies, certainly, but never experienced such an all-consuming hunger. She felt deliciously helpless, a wisp of soul floating over crashing waves of pleasure. Her only contribution to the act was to hook her hands under her knees, pull her own legs further back to allow the Ellie even better access to her sex. Her thighs rubbed against her breasts, adding yet another dimension to the muscle-wracking delight emanating from her core.
The Ellie‘s fingers slid inside her as the mouth returned to her clit. Every nerve came to life; she hadn‘t realized such complete awakening was possible without computer assistance. Her moans became incoherent cries as she dropped her legs, slammed her heels into the platform, lifted her ass to grind herself against the Ellie‘s mouth. Her lover wrestled her under control with his free hand, stretched the other just a bit further, and her stomach spasmed. She shuddered again and again, beat her fists on the soft platform, nearly choked as her breath caught in her throat.
She screamed. Even through the heavy draperies the sound echoed slightly and she swore she felt the Ellie smile around her clit. The fingers withdrew, the mouth pulled away, and Andi was left panting on the platform. Sweat slid from her breasts, pooling in the center of her chest, while her lower body pulsed with diminishing aftershocks.
“God,” she said. “Oh, my god.”
The monitor came back to life: Amazed yet?
Andi laughed.
•
“Almost ready here,” said Diana.
They sat in the hammerchick‘s apartment, Diana before a three-panel wall console, Andi beside, watching. She‘d been surprised at the invitation to meet there; given the nature of the hammerchick‘s work, she‘d expected her home location would be off-limits to clients.
It was a small place, made even more so by the shelves lining every wall. Books were stacked everywhere, both paper and disc. Three backpacks hung from a coat rack near the door, and a curtain blocked the bedroom from view. The “kitchen” consisted of a refrigerator, microwave, and cupboard set into the far wall.
“I think my legs are still shaking from yesterday,” Andi confessed. “That was incredible.”
“Yeah?” Diana glanced at her sideways, gave a hint of a smile.
“I never knew pros were so, well, good at that kind of thing. Guess that‘s why Kevin likes trying them every once in a while.”
Symbols danced on the monitors. Diana was jacked in, but she used a freehand glove in tandem with the cyber link. “You gonna take him back?”
Andi shrugged. “Well, yeah. Like I said, I don‘t care about him paying an Ellie. I just need to drill it through his head that our safety deserves some attention, too.” She watched a status meter grow in the bottom corner of the center panel. “Can I ask you something?”
Again, the sideways glance. “Shoot.”
“Your problem — you said you can‘t enjoy sex because of it?”
The tiny muscles beneath Diana‘s ear twitched ever so slightly, the first betrayal of emotion Andi remembered seeing. “Yeah.”
“So, why not use a sensory stimulation program? Kevin and I tried one, the last time we . . .were together. It‘s direct input, should get past your arc block, let you—”
Diana turned, pressed a finger to Andi‘s lips. Andi halted mid-sentence, surprised by the familiarity.
“Call me old-fashioned. Sex is intimate for me — I want my rockets fired by someone I like, someone I feel like being part of, not some anonymous stimulation recorded by a pro on the other side of the world. Know what I mean?”
Andi nodded. The console chimed.
“Okay,” Diana said. “We‘re in.”
Andi stared at the numbers dancing across the screen. “That‘s him? Our vampire?”
“Yep. I tracked him down last night, got a good look at his shit, and set myself up with a back door to his brain. He just jacked in to look for data dumps from his warhorse.”
“Who is he?”
“Rollie Lytes, twenty-nine year old guy in Middlesex, England. Programmer for Hayden-Baden International, degree from Thames Technical University, seems to spend most of his creds on food and porn. Downloads about a half dozen science fiction novels every month, lives with his mother.”
“Figures.”
“So, what do you want to do with him?”
Andi blinked. She‘d been so focused on tracking down the virus author, it had never occurred to her to consider what she‘d do when she actually found him. “I guess I don‘t know.”
Diana gave her a bemused look. “What, you didn‘t think I‘d actually get this far?”
“No, no, it‘s not that! I guess I just got so caught up in the chase, I didn‘t think about what I‘d do at the end.”
“Yeah, you looked pretty caught up yesterday.” Both women grinned, and Diana moved the freehand to highlight a stream of numbers. “Little bastard‘s picking up a live transmission from someone right now.”
“What‘ll we do?”
Diana laughed. “I figured you might not know what you wanted, so I prepped a programite for him. It‘s kinda like my arc block, but different triggers and results. Basically, whenever he gets his wood up, his stomach‘ll start churning. See how sexy he feels puking his guts out.”
“Jesus, can you really do that?”
“Well, it‘s software only. I can‘t infect his firmware, so he‘ll eventually track down the problem and fix it. I‘ve got another bug that‘ll watch for that — the second he erases the first program, the second will disable his warhorse and send an anonymous notification to NetSec. It‘s dirty pool, but—”
“But I like it.”
“All right, then.” Another progress meter lit up on the center screen. Andi stared, fascinated, until the empty bar transformed to a solid blue.
“Done,” said Diana. “I almost wish we could be peeping in next time he tries to whack off.”
Andi giggled. “This is incredible. I don‘t know how I‘m ever going to repay you—”
“Oh,” said the hammerchick. She smiled and unplugged her cyberwire. “I can think of a way.”
•
Kevin approached the bed, fumbling with the knot on his robe. Andi lay back, plugged in, smiling slightly at his nervous look. He‘d been obviously surprised to be invited back, and, she admitted, impressively contrite.
He glanced at the lights on the wall console. “Hey, you‘re jacked in the external system.” He reached for the keyboard.
Andi grabbed his wrist. “Don‘t change it.”
“What?”
She drew him to her, nipped at his neck, teased the rim of his ear with her tongue. She whispered.
“Let‘s just say, I owe someone. And you‘re gonna help me pay.”
He pulled up slightly, looked at her. “I don‘t get it.”
“I‘ll explain later.”
She tugged at his robe. The console lights changed, a connection was made, and Andi and the hammerchick smiled.
erotic fiction has appeared in anthologies such as Weekend Break, Sacred Exchange and Erotic Fantasy: Tales of the Paranormal. He lives in Texas with his family but does not carry a gun. Christian‘s science fiction and fantasy writing is published under a pseudonym so as not to alienate his erotica fans with “that other stuff.” http://www.ChristianBrinner.com
